Countdown was the longest-running and most popular weekly Australian music television show broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 8 November 1974 until 19 July 1987 so it featured around 600 episodes in total. They were produced at the ABC studios in Melbourne and was broadcast nationwide on Australia's government-owned broadcaster, ABC,  and commanded a huge and loyal audience. It screened a new episode each Sunday evening and then repeating it the following Saturday evening.

The majority of the performances on the show were lip-synched. The majority of the 1970s Countdown episodes are non-existent in ABC archives, they were wiped around 1981 when then Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser slashed the ABC budget, which got the ABC bigwigs of the time to decide to re-use the video tapes that Countdown was filmed on. These were special tapes and worth about $1000s each. But luckily this segment survived this incident, as it was filmed (thank goodness!) onto 16 mm magnetic film material, from where edited into the videotape of the aired production.

Björn and then Benny and Frida were interviewed by ABC. It was archived onto 3 reels: Frida was interrupted by the regular scheduled outdoor warning system (known as Hesa Fredrik) which takes place Monday of the month tht is not a public holiday at 3pm - which therefore confirms the filming date as Monday 1 March 1976.

The interviews all took place in a freezing cold Stockholm with views across the water of City Hall and other landmarks. The Grand Hotel was in the background behind Benny and Frida.

The interviewer was Countdown's short-lived and nameless "London Correspondent" (who by the sounds of it was English) prior to the release of Fernando in Australia. This guy is definitely not Molly Meldrum nor Glenn A Baker as has been suggested to me. 

Björn also recorded four cheesy 10-second promos for the channel, each with a different view of Stockholm behind them:

1. Djugarden ferries
   This clip was broadcast in the Countdown 10th Anniversary episode.
2. Norrbro
3. Opera Källaren (Norrmalm)
4. af Chapman (Skeppsholmen)

At the same time ABC filmed with Björn an intro for National Music Industry Awards 1976.

Countdown
Interviewer: Welcome to Stockholm!  We've brought the Countdown cameras along here courtesy of Björn here from Swedish group ABBA.  But what about that view back there?  Can you just sort of fill us in what's what because I don't suppose many Australians have been to Stockholm.
Björn: What you see right over there is .. is ... the Town Hall where the politicians gather and talk for days and days and over there you see the Old Town where actually Benny and Frida have a flat. Stockholm is actually built on islands, all of it, and its bridges going all through the city.  And naturally, we're a .. very much a boating people, the Swedes - like the Australians I think.
Interviewer: And very much a family people.  Can you just explain to us the intricate personal relationships between the girls and the boys in the band?
Björn: Well, Anna that's (a) nickname for Agnetha. She's married to me and she's the blonde one.  And Frida, the red-haired one, she's met ... she's engaged to Benny.

Interviewer: It must have been quite a unique idea in the first place to bring together a band with two girls because that's quite unusual isn't it?
Frida: Yes it was maybe that time (an) unusual idea but you know it came out naturally because Anna and I did a choir together together with Benny and Bjorn and they started to write their own songs and that's how it started actually and we felt it's very natural to do a song together as a group then like that.
Interviewer: It's not just singing, you do a wonderful performance, where you and Anna - you clap hands you go round, you look at each other in the eyes and it really is a performance isn't it?   Is that difficult to do?
Frida: Er no, it's not difficult but we are working very hard with it you know, we have a chor, chor ...no, how do you pronounce it?
Interviewer: Choreographer
Frida: Choreagrapher!
Interviewer: I can hardly pronounce it, don't worry
Frida: It's very difficult for me. Yeah, we are used to working together with him. We are practicising at least once a week just to bring the body to make it so it looks easy.
Interviewer: But you're the man that writes the songs.  How do you pick a good song? How do you actually get down and write the song in the first place and then decide which one you are going to put on record?
Benny: Well we spend a lot of time - Björn and I do all the writing together you know - and we spend a lot of time with that, (it) takes weeks and months to get an album and we kind of do exactly what we like to do, the the songs we like to do, the kind of music we like best and then, when we have say 10, 15 songs - the best one, what we find are the best one and we release that as a single.  And um, as it has been for the past 2-3 years, there's always more than one song on the album which is a presumptive hit which is lucky for us.

Interviewer: The record Ring Ring is the one that's being released in Australia right now, is that a new record?
Bjorn: It's not, it's the record before Waterloo and ... but I don't think it ever was anything in Australia so we're trying to re-release it.

Interviewer: Didn't Neil Sedaka have something to do with the making of that?  You know the American star, he had all those hits back in the early 60s?
Bjorn: Yeah, we've always been fans of Neil's and so we thought, when we wrote this song, why not ask Neil to write the lyrics.  So here's our current single in Australia and it's Ring Ring.

Interviewer: What's that sound ?
Frida: I think it's ...... (Swedish words)
Benny: Every first Monday in the month, they try the sirens, for the alarm for - what do you call it?  The flying saucers!
Interviewer: Ah!  I see so ...  I reckon we ought to go over to watching you actually perform the music right now. Can we play the new film that you've made here in the studio in Stockholm with the new record. Will you introduce it for us Frida?
Frida: Oh, its a new, um, a brand new song which is called Fernando and I'm singing the lead vocals together with Anna and Björn and Benny of course and and we like very much to present it to you.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Countdown Promo - Djugarden ferries
Björn: Hello everybody, I'm Björn of the Swedsh group ABBA and I'm reminding you that this is COUNTDOWN throughout Australia on ABC TV.  And isn't Countdown a great, great show?   And what about Stockholm?  Isn't that a great city?

Countdown Promo - Norrbro
Björn: Hello this is Björn of ABBA speaking to you directly from STOCKHOLM reminding you that Countdown comes to you on ABC TV throughout Australia.

Countdown Promo - Opera Källaren (Norrmalm)
Björn: Hello, this is Björn of the Swedish group ABBA talking to you directly from STOCKHOLM!  And it's very, very, very cold but I'd like to remind you that Countdown comes to you throughout Australia on ABC TV.  What about all these birds, eh?

Countdown Promo - af Chapman (Skeppsholmen)
Björn: Hello everybody, this is Björn of ABBA reminding you that this is Countdown, er, and it comes to you throughout Australia on ABC television. And isn't Countdown a great, great show?  And what about this boat here in Stockholm?  It's even been to Australia you know.

Countdown (Benny, Björn & Frida), 1976;
Countdown, 1977;
Countdown (Björn), 1979;
Countdown Ends the Decade (Björn), 1979;
Countdown: Do Yourself a Favour (Björn), 2014;

Archive data for the 3 reels:
reel No1. (from National Archives of Australia’s public sites):
Countdown interview (part 1) (Bjorn, Benny+Frida, Björn):
Item details for: B6154, MARCH10F/0462
Title: Countdown [Abba Interview Segment] CATEGORY: moving image FORMAT: magnetic sound film QUANTITY: 1 of 1 reels DURATION: 03 min 35 sec TYPE: 16mm magnetic final mix, sound STATUS: preservation material
Contents date range: 17 Mar 1976 - 17 Mar 1976
Series number: B6154
Control symbol: MARCH10F/0462
Item barcode: 31282811
Location: Sydney
Access status: Not yet examined
Date of decision: 01 Jan 1970
Physical format: AUDIO-VISUAL RECORDS (allocated at series level)
Visibility and availability indicators: 31. Not to be issued for preservation reasons
Records authority class number: 12780
Date registered: 27 Mar 2012

reel No2. (from National Archives of Australia’s public sites):
Countdown interview (part 2) (Benny+Frida, Björn’s 4 promos):
Item details for: B6154, MARCH10F/0462 
Title: Countdown [Abba Promo Bjorn In Stockholm Segment] CATEGORY: moving image FORMAT: magnetic sound film QUANTITY: 1 of 1 reels DURATION: 01 min 28 sec TYPE: 16mm magnetic final mix, sound STATUS: preservation material
Contents date range: 06 Mar 1976 - 06 Mar 1976
Series number: B6154
Control symbol: MARCH10F/0462
Item barcode: 31282813
Location: Sydney
Access status: Not yet examined
Date of decision: 01 Jan 1970
Physical format: AUDIO-VISUAL RECORDS (allocated at series level)
Visibility and availability indicators: 31. Not to be issued for preservation reasons
Records authority class number: 12780
Date registered: 27 Mar 2012

reel No2. (from ABC’s database):
ID: 809492 - COUNTDOWN - SEGMENT - ABBA PROMO BJORN IN STOCKHOLM
Recording date: 02-Feb-1976
Duration: 1.27
Location: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Summary: 4 COUNTDOWN PROMOS BY BJORN ULVAEUS FROM POPULAR MUSIC GROUP 'ABBA' AT HARBOUR/PORT IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
More details
Personalities: BJORN ULVAEUS, MUSICIAN, ABBA
Shotlist: MLS ULVAEUS WALKS TOWARDS CAMERA AT A PORT, REMINDS US WE'RE WATCHING COUNTDOWN AND THAT IT IS A GREAT SHOW, SAYS THAT STOCKHOLM IS A GREAT CITY, CAMERA PAN R LS WATER PAST BOATS IN STOCKHOLM; ;MLS ULVAEUS POINTS OUT THAT HE IS IN STOCKHOLM WHILST TWISTING BODY TO SHOW WATER AND BUILDINGS BEHIND HIM, THEN REMINDS US THAT COUNTDOWN COMES TO US ON ABC TV THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA; ;MLS ULVAEUS SAYS IT IS COLD IN STOCKHOLM, REMINDS US THAT COUNTDOWN COMES TO US THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA ON ABC TV, AND SAYS "WHAT ABOUT ALL THESE BIRDS, EH?"; ;MLS ULVAEUS REMINDS US THAT WE ARE WATCHING COUNTDOWN AND THAT IT COMES TO US THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA ON ABC TELEVISION, SAYS COUNTDOWN IS A GREAT, GREAT SHOW, AND TURNS TO POINT OUT A BOAT IN THE HARBOUR BEHIND HIM, SAYS THE BOAT HAS EVEN BEEN TO AUSTRALIA

reel No3. (from ABC’s database):
(Benny and Frida to Fernando)
ID: 809494 - COUNTDOWN - SEGMENT - ABBA FRIDA AND BENNY INTRODUCTION TO 'FERNANDO' 
Recording date: 02-Feb-1976
Duration: 0.45
Location: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Summary: MUSICIANS FROM 'ABBA' ANNI-FRID LYNGSTAD (FRIDA LYNGSTAD) AND BENNY ANDERSSON SPEAK WITH INTERVIEWER IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN RE NEW SONG 'FERNANDO' (USED AS INTRODUCTION TO SONG)
More details
Personalities: ANNI-FRID LYNGSTAD, FRIDA LYNGSTAD, MUSICIAN, "ABBA"; BENNY ANDERSSON, MUSICIAN, "ABBA"
Shotlist: MLS ZO LS STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN BUILDINGS AND CARS DRIVING OVER BRIDGE OVER WATER WHILE LOUD SOUND PLAYS AND IV VO SPEAKS RE WHAT ON EARTH IS THAT SOUND, FRIDA? WHAT IS THAT SOUND?;MCU IV LYNGSTAD (LOOKING OVER SHOULDER TOWARDS SOUND) RE I DON'T - I THINK IT'S (SPEAKS SWEDISH?);MCU IV ANDERSSON RE EVERY FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH THEY TRY TO - THE SIRENS FOR THE - THE ALARM FOR THE - WHAT DO YOU CALL IT? (LOOKS UP, LOOKS DOWN) THE FLYING SAUCERS (LAUGHS), PAN R MCU 2S ANDERSSON SMILES WITH LYNGSTAD WHILE INTERVIEW VO RE NEW SONG AND ASKS FRIDA TO INTRODUCE IT;MCU IV LYNGSTAD RE IT'S A NEW - BRAND NEW SONG, WHICH IS CALLED 'FERNANDO' AND I'M SINGING THE LEAD VOCALS TOGETHER WITH AGNETHA AND BEN AND BJORN OF COURSE, AND WE LIKE VERY MUCH TO PRESENT IT TO YOU, CAMERA TU TO WHITE SKY

Thanks to Philip Muytjens, Carl Magnus Palm, James O'Brien, Steve Layton, Jozsef, Fiona Metcalfe and Luke Rogers c/o ABBAMAIL (no longer online). Thanks also to Philip Bouvin Sigfridsson, Jan Bach, Brendon Jenkins, Brett Leslie & Milton Hammon.
YouTube link c/o Steve Layton.